


It's Called a Heart

by Ryo Hoshi (Hoshi_Ryo)



Series: Till Worlds End [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Gen, Healthy Relationships, Off-screen Relationship(s), Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Past Relationship(s), Power Imbalance, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-10 04:56:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2011710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hoshi_Ryo/pseuds/Ryo%20Hoshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dirk has already lost one relationship because he was controlling, and doesn't want to lose Nepeta because he ordered her to stop seeing her matesprit, even if he knows she's getting hurt.</p>
<p>When she finally comes back from a date with a black eye, though, he can't put off telling her any longer...</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Called a Heart

     Dirk knew it mattered how his troll partner was doing, really.  After all, he trusted her with his back when they went hunting, and if she was distracted… 

     Well, things could go horribly wrong in terrible ways which might be fatal, might be worse, and given that part of his goddamn job was to make sure she was in proper condition to actually do her goddamn job, it was really what he deserved for letting things get this bad. 

     But, well, he had not put his foot down, not wanting to take abusive advantage of his authority over his troll partner.  He had already had one relationship blow up in his face because, as he admitted later, he was a controlling asshole and while he actually kinda hated this about himself it was not something he had control over, especially while in denial about it. 

     He told himself that hey, he did not really know how old Nepeta was, trolls always gave their ages in some troll unit, go figure, and he did not know the guy (he presumed it was a guy) that she was seeing and really, this meant he could be sure Nepeta was not doing it because she thought it was what he wanted her to do. 

     Dirk still was uncomfortable with telling her that she needed to end it, even when she started coming back from her dates with bruises that did not even try to be hidden under her clothes, though the asshole at least was being polite enough (to her or Dirk or both of them, Dirk was not certain) to leave her face alone for now. 

     He was rather sure that, despite everything, Nepeta’s boyfriend had not forced her to bed him.  Good euphemism, best way to avoid naming the problem. 

     Still. 

     Dirk knew that he could not put it off any longer the night she came home with one hell of a black eye, sniffling, not quite yet crying but olive green tears were threatening an impending waterfall. 

     It would be so simple to just order Nepeta to stop seeing him. 

     She would sniffle, and cry into her cushion, and refuse to speak to him except in cat or take her humanoid form until she had to, until she decided to warm back up to him, but it would work. 

     Dirk knew, too, that Nepeta would never trust him fully again. 

     Their relationship would bear a scar, a hair-thin crack, that would never ever fully go away. 

     But he could not keep on saying nothing. 

     Dirk steeled himself and found Nepeta licking her wounds, literally, in the bathroom. 

     “Nepeta, we need to talk.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea who Nepeta has been seeing, not even what the person's gender might be. Feel free to make up your own.


End file.
